Month: September 2015

By Daniel Tseghay, RankandFile.ca Writer/Organizer In the orchards of the Okanagan, Mexican and Jamaican farm workers plant and prune. Some, mainly women, are in the packing houses. Many of these migrants handle pesticides with little to no training and without proper protective gear for spraying. “They often complain… Read More

On a Potential Constitutional Challenge to Nova Scotia’s Universities Accountability and Sustainability Act and the Limitations of Legalistic Labour Strategies By Solidarity Halifax’s Workers Action Committee How should workers fight repressive legislation, in the courts or in the streets? While a favorable judgement can bring… Read More

The $15/hr minimum wage for federal regulated workers promised by the NDP will benefit over 100,000 workers. This is a good thing. The NDP’s policy was a response to the pressure created by the Fight for 15 movement across the country and even the continent. The… Read More

By Bob Barnetson Over the summer, there were encouraging signs that Alberta’s New Democratic government was going to provide Alberta farm workers with basic workplace rights, such as the right to refuse unsafe work. The details remain sketchy (the NDP inherited a pretty full plate… Read More

By Robert Devet (Follow him on twitter @DevetRobert) The recent arrests of 27 men in Sydney, Cape Breton, charged with obtaining sexual services, raises concerns about the safety of sex workers. The charges are laid under Bill C-36, a controversial law proclaimed in December of… Read More

With a federal election upon us and a handful of labour conventions on the horizon, how are delegates and rank-and-file members working to politicize their federations? Send us proposed resolutions by September 29 to share amongst the RankandFile.ca readership. Share your draft resolutions for union members… Read More

The Graphic History Collective Unionizes By Daniel Tseghay, RankandFile.ca Writer/Organizer On September 2nd, the Graphic History Collective (GHC), a volunteer-run collective producing comic books on Canada’s labour and working class history, announced that it has joined the Canadian Freelance Union (CFU). The CFU is a Community Chapter… Read More

Employees locked out at Sudbury Racetrack slots | One year after – The Rise and Fall(?) of the BCTF | Elementary teachers threaten one day strikes in October | CUPE raises concerns about privatizing hospital services | Ottawa’s ‘Unruly’ Cabbies: Explaining the lockout | Saskatoon… Read More

This documentary follows a community action group led by American community organizer and writer Saul Alinsky in Rochester, New York. Together, they confront the community’s largest employer on the issue of corporate responsibility and the employment of minority groups. Through Conflict to Negotiation by Bonnie… Read More

by Tara Ehrcke Just one year ago, BC teachers returned to class from what was the longest teacher strike in Canadian history. Teachers, upset with over a decade of deteriorating funding and particularly with large and complex classrooms, were unwilling to accept a contract offer… Read More

What is prolonging Ottawa’s airport taxi dispute? by Joel Harden CUPE Local 4600 Chief Steward and delegate to the Ottawa & District Labour Council If you believe the mainstream media, Ottawa’s airport is under siege by a an unruly mob of tax drivers since the… Read More

In response to increasing public concerns in Saskatchewan over the privatization of hospital laundry services and the provincial government’s push for private MRI clinics, The Council of Canadians and the CUPE Health Council have organized a five city tour against the privatization of healthcare in… Read More

by Haseena Manek, originally published by the Canadian Association of Labour Media Harper has been Prime Minister for almost a decade. In that time, the Conservative government’s war on workers has touched nearly every sector and industry. Through a combination of policy and propaganda, the… Read More